Inspection Detail

Inspection: 112131099 - J H Baxter

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

A pole handler (a type of industrial truck), Patrick Equipment Co., model ARR 8, Serial # 08922051, was being used to pull preservative-treated telephone poles from a retort. This is done by placing the looped end of a wire rope between the jaws of the pole handler. The pole handler then pulls and lifts the poles from the retort. The upper jaw of the pole handler has an additional jaw that is hinged at the front of the upper jaw. When the operator of the pole handler opens the jaws, this hold-down jaw swings up into the channel of the upper jaw before the upper jaw lifts from the lower jaw. Employee #1, a laborer, wanting to reposition the wire rope loop in the jaws, signaled to the operator to open the jaws. The laborer had grabbed the wire rope with this right hand while bracing himself with his left hand on the hold-down jaw. When the pole handler operator opened the jaws, Employee #1's fingers were pinched between the upper and hold-down jaws. Two fingers were amputated. The pole handler operator's ability to see the laborer working next to the jaws is restricted.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, FINGER, WORK RULES, CAUGHT BETWEEN, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, POOR VISIBILITY, UNSTABLE POSITION